How to Tell If a Pokémon Is Shiny in Scarlet and Violet

Getting shiny Pokémon takes time and patience. You have to be careful, though, because unlike in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, shiny Pokémon don’t have sound effects when they spawn, making it hard to distinguish them. In this guide, we’ll tell you how to tell if a Pokémon is shiny in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

How to Know If a Pokémon Is Shiny in Scarlet and Violet

You can tell if a Pokémon is shiny by its color. Shiny Pokémon don’t have the standard color like a normal Pokémon, like a green Bronzor or a white Eevee. If you want to check if it’s truly a shiny Pokémon, enter into a battle with it. You should see a minor sparkle animation during its war cry if you’re battling a shiny Pokémon.

How to Search for a Shiny Pokémon

While there is no real shortcut to determining if a Pokémon is shiny, you can certainly check with the “R” method. All you need to do is to send your Pokémon into Let’s Go! auto battles using R. If you’re battling a shiny Pokémon, your Pokémon won’t attack it and run back to you with a sweat chat balloon.

In fact, it’s recommended to use the R method in Mass Outbreaks. During a Mass Outbreak, many Pokémon of the same species gather in one area. The Pokémon species on Mass Outbreak changes every day.

You can also make your shiny hunts easier by eating sandwiches with a specific type’s Sparkling Meal Power effect. If you complete your Pokédex, you can additionally receive a Shiny Charm from Jacq.

What Pokémon Are Shiny-Locked in Scarlet and Violet?

Image via Game Freak

You might try to fill your Pokédex with Shiny Pokémon, but it’s impossible. Some Pokémon are shiny-locked. Here are some of them:

• The three starters given to you at the start of the game (you can Shiny hunt them by breeding and hatching)
• The box Legendaries
• The four sub-Legendaries
• NPC-traded Pokémon

So, before you feel the urge to reset your game to get those shinies, make sure that you cross them out of your hunt list first.